Apr 13, 2009 8:13 pm US/Eastern
I-Team: Quincy Cracks Down On DPW Workers
"We want to make sure citizens of the city through their tax dollars are getting what they should be getting in terms of work," said Human Resources Dir. Steve McGrath.
But a WBZ's
I-Team investigation showed that in many cases, that wasn't happening and work wasn't getting done in Quincy.
The I-Team followed public works crews all across the city and found them running errands and sitting on the roadside not doing much work at all.
The city launched its own investigation after the I-Team showed them what they caught on camera, and suspensions are on the way. "As a result of what was viewed on tape, that's resulted in punishment," said McGrath.
Two workers were suspended without pay for several days. Three received letter of reprimand.
City officials aren't happy the I-Team discovered the problem, but they are happy they found out so they could take action.
A new logging system will track workers and projects to make sure the crews aren't doing this and the work is getting done. And now there is a policy on the books to prevent any personal errands while on the clock. "And that system, I think, will result in a far more ready atmosphere for getting the job done, so the citizens of Quincy will get a day's work for a day's pay from their DPW employees," said McGrath.
A day's work for a days pay should always be the rule… not the exception.
The city is also looking into the cutting of overtime costs for its DPW crews. The I-Team discovered the city paid more than $5,000 in overtime for DPW workers to clean up after its Christmas parade.
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Stumble It!
